The Butterflies: 9-1-1
by Chasyn
Summary: Part of my Butterflies series, in which you feel butterflies in your stomach when you meet your soulmate. Buck/Eddie.
1. The Playboy

So... the Butterflies is this series I'm working on, where you get like butterflies in your stomach when you meet/realize someone is your soulmate. Here's the Buck part, and then there will be an Eddie part, where we see how Eddie takes it.

**The Playboy**

Buck had never felt Butterflies. He believed in them, though. With his whole heart and soul. He believed one day he'd be blessed to feel the Butterflies and meet his soulmate. He was a hopeless romantic like that. And maybe a bit impatient. He knew you couldn't rush fate. This had been taught to him since an early age. You had to wait. But Buck thought that maybe, just maybe, he could encourage it along. If maybe he met a lot of girls, a lot of people, maybe fate would show him which was the right one for him. He'd heard people speculate before. Sometimes Butterflies didn't happen the first time you met your soulmate, like most said. He'd heard stories of it taking a few minutes with the person before the Butterflies appear. Growing up, Buck wondered if that meant they were shy or something. He'd also heard tales of the Butterflies happening after getting really close to someone. They just... develop.

As Buck got older and hit puberty, he got the idea in his head that sex was the fastest and easiest way to get close to someone. But Butterflies wouldn't happen and he'd move on to the next person. And then the next and next. Buck couldn't stop. Before he knew it, it was like he was addicted. Meaningless sex with pretty much anyone who said yes. And Buck started fearing that maybe _that_ was why he didn't feel the Butterflies. And maybe he needed to change his approach. Maybe he needed to just forget about the looming feel of the fluttering. Maybe they weren't real anyways.

And then he heard Abby's voice. And for the first time in his life, he thought maybe, he felt something. But having never felt anything for anyone before, he wasn't sure. He spent weeks talking to Abby every day. And every time, he swore there was something. And that something was quickly forming into love. And when they started meeting for real, he was sure. Abby was meant to be his. Except... Abby never mentioned Butterflies. She never talked about soulmates or fate or anything. And once, when Buck had tried to casually mention it, she'd laughed and brushed the notion off as childish and silly.

So Buck didn't bring it up again. He tried to forget about the Butterflies and fate and all that stupid romantic shit. And he tried to be happy in the moment with Abby. And it was going alright, he thought, until Abby's mother died. And she decided she needed to leave.

That was the last time Buck saw Abby. She left him and just seemed to disappear. Buck waited. He held on for months, with hopes and dreams of seeing her again. But she didn't come back. And was devastated. He felt lost and broken and he hated the feeling. And he started to think Abby was right. There was no Butterflies. It _was_ a stupid and childish notion. And Buck fell right back into his old ways, seeking comfort in anyone that would have him. But it was always short lived and he left feeling worse than he'd ever felt.

And then _he_ showed up.

Eddie.

Everyone was talking about the hot new recruit Eddie. But Buck couldn't seem to focus. He could hear them but the words just wouldn't focus right in his mind. He frowned as he turned around, to see whoever this new _Eddie_ was. This new hot guy who Buck didn't need. Buck felt something, something hard to describe. If he was honest with himself, it was something he'd never felt before. Something he'd been waiting his whole life to feel. But _that_ wasn't on his mind. Because he'd given up the hope of feeling _them_. What Buck was feeling, he was certain, was jealousy. Maybe hatred. Because they did _not_ need this new guy.

And then the ground shook. And the feeling went away. Buck had more important things to do than focus on hatred of the new guy. Adrenaline kept him going, kept him focused, kept whatever weird feeling down when he had to go into the fallen building with Eddie. But he had to stick close to the new guy, they both had jobs to do and people to save. They moved together and worked well together. And Buck felt a stinging prick of worry every time Eddie slid across the floor or down the hall, anywhere that was just out of Buck's reach.

Eddie had a kid. He was a single father, he was all his kid had.

But that still didn't matter. That didn't change Buck's mind. Eddie still wasn't needed.

Well.

Maybe.

Eddie was kind, Eddie was smart. He was strong and when he smiled, Buck forgot the world for a moment.

Buck tried not to think about Eddie as the day went on. Several aftershocks were still wrecking havoc. He needed a clear mind to focus on work. But just as soon as they were done for the night, when the worst of the day was over and the next squad's shift was taking over, things around him began to quiet down. Literally. They were sitting around the table at the station for a moment, all taking a breath. Hen was talking, he could see her mouth moving. Chim, too. And Bobby. They were all talking. All except Eddie. Eddie was staring at him. And Buck could feel it again. And this time, he concentrated and just _felt_ them. And his brain could process what he was feeling. The fluttering in the pit of his stomach that wasn't from the fact that none of them had eaten all day.

_Butterflies_.

And he wanted to smile. He wanted to leap up from the table and reach for Eddie, for the man he'd spent the past how many ever hours hating and feeling jealous over. But before Buck could move, Eddie was moving. Buck frowned, watching him. Eddie was up and walking, away from the table and away from him. Buck felt a need, a yearning to follow. He _needed_ Eddie. In that moment. He needed _Eddie_.

_Kid_. Buck suddenly remembered. Eddie had a kid! Buck jumped up and followed after Eddie.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** Up next, Eddie's part. Woohoo!


	2. The Soldier

Here comes Eddie! 8D Some liberties were taking with Shannon and stuff. Eddie and Shannon talked briefly about their relationship. But still had to pinpoint an exact timeline.

**The Soldier**

Eddie knew. Eddie knew the moment he walked into the station. He could feel the fluttering as he walked across the large room towards the locker room. There were people all around, smiling and welcoming and pointing him the right way. But the fluttering was still mild. Just tiny, little tentative flaps. Eddie stepped inside the locker room and dropped his bag, as he remembered the first time he felt the tiny, nervous fluttering.

The first time felt the Butterflies, he was just starting his first year of college. He planned to take a few courses, a few prerequisites to get out of the way and then he was planning on enlisting in the army. And then he met her, Shannon, in one of his classes. She was pretty and smart and nice. And things got a little... _fuzzy_ around her. It wasn't the big explosion he'd heard about. Some said they lost all senses the first time, that the only thing that mattered was the other person, and that the Butterflies fluttered so hard, some thought they were sick or dying. But all Eddie felt was tiny, miniscule wing movements, like maybe he'd eaten something that didn't agree with him, but would go away if he drank something fizzy. And his head felt like fog, but a light morning fog that was already dissipating.

It was disappointing. But Eddie stuck with Shannon because he thought he was supposed to. He thought fate had chosen her to be his other half. He _liked_ her fine, liked her _enough_. He just... he wasn't sure he ever felt the overwhelming, all consuming love that your soulmate was supposed to be. The other half of yourself. That one person that made you feel whole.

And then Shannon got pregnant. Eddie was in his first tour of duty when he got the phone call. And Christopher was almost a year old when Eddie first got to meet him. Christopher became his whole life when Eddie was home. He might have neglected his wife. In hindsight, he knew he had. But he had such little time before he had to go back and he needed to spend every moment he could with his kid.

Eddie was nearly done with his two year tour when he got the call about Christopher's diagnosis. Cerebral palsy. Shannon was beside herself, crying about it being her fault somehow, because Christopher had gotten stuck during the birth. Eddie wasn't proud of his decision, and later regretted it since he made it, but he reenlisted. He told himself it was for medical bills. But he was running away, leaving Shannon to take care of everything. And it was too late when he realized that was exactly what he was doing. He was already signed up. He had to serve out the full tour.

Things were never the same after that. He returned home and dove right back in to being a father. Christopher again became his life, his top priority. Christopher was almost four and he needed the attention. Shannon again fell through the cracks. Eddie didn't try hard enough to keep her around, to keep her happy. And then one day, she was just gone. She'd left, moved over 1,200 miles away, to take care of a dying parent. She never asked Eddie and Christopher to come. She hardly seemed to care anymore. Her calls became fewer and fewer as the months went by. She called to tell Eddie her mother had passed away. But Shannon didn't say she was coming back and Eddie didn't ask her to.

Christopher was almost eight when Eddie moved them from Texas up to California. He told his family, and Christopher, it was because of his new job. He'd passed his training with flying colors and every top firehouse in the country seemed to be vying for his attention. The LAFD was one of the best. And it just so happened to be less than an hour's drive from where Shannon ran away to. Eddie had no real love for his wife anymore, if he ever did. But one day, Eddie hoped maybe Christopher and her could have some sort of relationship. Christopher still asked about her occasionally. And it killed Eddie when Christopher would get sad after.

So Eddie was familiar with the Butterflies. He just didn't know how he felt about fate trying to match him up with someone again. He would never count his time with Shannon as a mistake, because she gave him Christopher. But he'd be lying if he said Shannon was his soulmate. Eddie ignored the fluttering as he pulled off his shirt and quickly got dressed. And then he stopped. The Butterflies went from their light fluttering, to all out wild fluttering. Like they were in a panic or something. Eddie wavered a moment on his feet, putting a hand against the lockers to brace himself. He took a deep breath and turned, looking out through the glass.

And that's when he saw the man, the man glaring back at him. The man with the intense blue eyes and the oddly endearing birthmark above his eye. A man. Eddie had no qualms about that. But... what would Christopher think? Christopher, who was the most important person in Eddie's life, who sometimes asked about his mother and when she was coming home. How would Christopher react when he found out his dad had another soulmate, who was a man. Eddie was seriously considering putting in a request transfer on his first day. Because maybe this was too soon and too hard.

And then the sirens rang. And everything else was forgotten as Eddie climbed on the truck with his new teammates. Buck, he'd been told by someone, was the name of the man with the birthmark. But Buck wasn't on Eddie's mind. Christopher was. That was who he was concentrating on until the truck stopped. Eddie took a deep breath and followed Buck into the fray. Work helped keep his mind off his son. Christopher was safe at school. And Eddie had people to save.

Buck slipped at one point and Eddie felt his heart in his throat and the fluttering again. Eddie moved quickly, reaching out to grab Buck's wavering hand and he pulled the man back up to his feet. Buck smiled at him for a moment. And then they went back to work. Because they had people to save. And Eddie had a potential soulmate to keep his eyes on.

The day settled down and they get back to the station. Everyone was sitting around, talking and smiling and being grateful for making it through the day. But Eddie couldn't hear them. He couldn't focus on anything. Except Christopher. He needed to get to Christopher. He needed to make sure his son was alright. Then maybe after... Eddie's eyes met Buck's. He sucked in a breath. And he had to physically force himself to turn around. Because the Butterflies were telling him to run to Buck, to reach out for the man and caress the mark above his eye. But no. Eddie had to stomp down the yearning, because he had to check on Christopher. Christopher _had_ to come first. He _always_ would. And whoever Eddie was meant to be with would have to understand that, too.

Eddie didn't slow his steps. He headed towards the door and forced himself to not look back as he pushed the door open and walked thought it. But he _felt_ Buck suddenly and looked over. Buck was beside him. He didn't say anything, just grabbed Eddie's hand and pulled him towards the parking lot. Buck pulled out his keys and unlocked his jeep. Eddie didn't hesitate as he climbed in the passenger seat. They didn't speak as they weaved through the traffic. Eddie didn't tell Buck where to go. And he couldn't remember if he mentioned the school earlier or if Buck just somehow _knew_.

But it didn't matter. Buck pulled the jeep to a stop in front of the school and Eddie was out the door before the vehicle even stopped. He raced up the stairs and into the building. Christopher was standing there, smiling. Eddie raced forward and picked the kid right up off his feet. He hugged him tightly and spun him around. Christopher was okay. He was alright. Deep down, Eddie knew he would be. But he just needed to be sure. Everything was now alright.

Eddie placed Christopher back on the floor and stood up. He smiled down at his son. And then something made him stop. The fluttering. The Butterflies were back. They started tentative for a moment. And as Eddie breathed out, relaxing more because Christopher was okay, the Butterflies intensified. Like this morning. Eddie turned, looking out the door.

Buck was standing outside at the top of the steps, watching. His hands were in his pockets and he looked hesitant.

Eddie glanced back at Christopher. He held his finger up for a moment and smiled. Christopher nodded and Eddie turned. He raced towards the doors and didn't stop. He didn't think or hesitate any longer. Buck barely had time to pull his hands out of his pockets before Eddie was on him. Eddie wrapped his arms around Buck's neck and pulled him closer. He pressed his lips against Buck's. And it was soft and sweet. Just barely a brush before Eddie's arms lowered and he hugged Buck impossibly close. He rested his head against Buck's shoulder and felt the other man tightened his arms around his waist.

And it was just _right_.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** For now, I guess this one's done. XD


End file.
